Photo Gallery: Wayzata vs. Elk River/Zimmerman
Wayzata proved its place atop the bracket by dismantling the third-seeded Elks 17-2 at Park Center High School for its third straight state tournament berth.
Loaded with a bevy of sharpshooters, including Mr. Lacrosse finalist Dalton Seesz, Wednesday’s game was just a matter of getting the ball to the open shooter.
Enter third-year faceoff specialist Chris Thomas.
Thomas won the first eight draws of the game, often to himself where he clamped the ball, rose from the circle and flipped it to himself in a single motion; ready to push the ball upfield.
“Chris (Thomas) is beyond me coaching him — I ask him things now,” Trojans coach Chad Herr said. “He’s a very well-taught faceoff guy. We’re glad to have him that’s for sure.”
Thomas' success off the draw fed into a frenzy of first-half goals as Wayzata built a 7-1 lead at halftime.
Andrew Sahli netted four of his five goals in the first half as a primary benefactor of Thomas’ dominance in the circle. Sahli described Wayzata’s offense as enigmatic and able to shift its strategy to whatever will beat the defense. He said Thomas allows the Trojans (13-3) the added opportunities to tinker with their approach.
Seesz, held scoreless for the first time this season, proved to matter little as Brooks Hanson and Brayden Nelson also notched hat tricks against Elk River (12-3).
Thomas was also able to get in on the scoring as he scorched down the field in the third quarter and fired an overhead shot that found the back of the net.
“He’s vital to our offense,” Sahli said. “When you can tip the field in your favor like that — it’s hard to stop.”
The Elks, playing in their first-ever section final, upset previously unbeaten and second-seeded St. Michael-Alberville 9-7 in the section semifinals but couldn’t limit the Trojans offense.
“They smoked us,” Elks coach Thomas Haugen said with a chuckle. “They’re good and that’s how you win lacrosse championships… It was good for our team — we’ve never been this far and I’m happy with our seniors who won four games as freshmen. They’re learning how to win — we’re not there yet — but I’m proud of the progress and what we’ve accomplished.”
Wayzata awaits the results of four other section finals before learning their seeding for the tourney. After falling in the state semifinals in the past two years, including a narrow 6-5 defeat against Benilde-St. Margaret's, the Trojans are aiming for a trip to their first state title game with an experienced lineup.
“Nobody panics because we’ve been here before,” Sahli said. “There’s a lot of talented teams but everyone’s ready.”